Internal Exams

piedpiper07

I had my first internal exam today. It probably lasted 30 seconds, but that entire 30 seconds was just awful. It hurt so bad!!! Immediately I began to doubt my ability to have a natural birth.

It gets a whole lot worse than that for a lot longer in labor does it not? 

SIgh. I don't know what to think anymore. I was super committed and now I am questioning everything. 

Nechie122

Yes, contractions hurt. But they start and stop, even at the end. And as bad as they hurt, I always felt like I could just get through each painful minute and then regroup for the next one. I never thought: I'd rather be hooked up to tubes and monitors and totally numb. It hurts and then it's over, hurts and then it's over. And then ... It's just over. And you did it.

piedpiper07

Nechie122:

Yes, contractions hurt. But they start and stop, even at the end. And as bad as they hurt, I always felt like I could just get through each painful minute and then regroup for the next one. I never thought: I'd rather be hooked up to tubes and monitors and totally numb. It hurts and then it's over, hurts and then it's over. And then ... It's just over. And you did it.

This makes sense. I guess in my mind it's going to be hours of pain when I keep forgetting about the breaks. 

AmyRI

Your hormones take over and help you deal with the pain then, too. Your body was not expecting an internal exam, whereas it expects and reacts to your baby moving down.

Labor pain is totally different, and your body reacts in totally amazing ways so that you don't realize how much more it hurts than an internal.

sschwege

As pp said it's totally different.  I had terrible sciatic nerve pain a few days before I went into labor and I remember thinking, if it's anything like this I'm getting the epi!  Labor is intense and requires all your concentration at the end, but there is something very natural about it.  It comes in waves.  One starts, builds and then washes away.  Then you rest until your next one.  I do not consider myself to have a high pain tolerance and I never once considered getting an epi and I was in the hospital.  You can totally do this!

And by the way, if it was that painful, consider refusing them from now on.  I didn't have one until I showed up in triage in labor.  They are pointless before you are in labor. 

iris427

I can't deal with internals.  They are so painful.  I still had a natural birth.  It is totally different to be in pain because of something normal and good that your body is doing, and because someone is shoving their hand up your vag.   

iris427

And ITA about refusing them until you are in labor, or unless there is a specific medical reason to do one.  You don't need your cervix checked at every routine ob appointment,  It does not tell you anything about when you will go into labor.

cyclek8bride

iris427:

I can't deal with internals.  They are so painful.  I still had a natural birth.  It is totally different to be in pain because of something normal and good that your body is doing, and because someone is shoving their hand up your vag.   

I agree with this.  I think I screamed during internals during labor.  They were so shocking.  Labor pains were expected, internals not so much.

dosafyre

I only had two internals last time during labor...I found them sharply painful and intrusive in a way that the contraction sensations were not.

My current OB is pressuring to start them next week...but I'm still saying "no".

jennyann28

I totally agree with PPs. Internals are a different kind of pain. They totally suck & are NOT natural, and I do have a high pain tolerance. When my nurse checked me and said I was complete, I said, "Great! Get your hand out of me!"

PansyPants

Oh god, if natural labor were like internal exams I would never have made it.

I wanted to kick my midwife. Literally I'm laying there shouting "I'm not allowed to kick you!!!" when she examined me in labor. The contractions are much easier because they have a natural progression and they're something your body does on it's own. They're more intense and harder, but nothing like getting your cervix man handled. 

piedpiper07

I am definitely so relieved to hear this from everyone!!